Saturday, May 31, 2014

Everyone knows the New Order is home to a great many elite PvP'ers. If you were to greet a random highsec miner and ask him or her, "How about that New Order, eh? They do a lot of elite PvP?", you would probably get no reaction. That miner is AFK. However, if you were to continue asking the same question to multiple random highsec miners and found one that was not AFK, you would probably get a response in the form of Russian profanity.

However, if you were to continue asking "How about that New Order, eh? They do a lot of elite PvP?", you would eventually run into a highsec miner who answers your question honestly. He or she would reply with some variation of, "Oh, yes. Very much so."

It's common knowledge that Code enforcers are elite PvP'ers. But just how elite are they? It's difficult to get a reliable subjective take on this, because the EVE community is built upon a foundation of bluff and bluster. A carebear grinding away in a 0.7 system claims to be an alt of an important person; a miner who spends all his time sucking away at ice anomalies in highsec claims he's "not a miner". Powerless gank victims vow to destroy the New Order "eventually", or they claim to have a fleet of Phoenixes or Tornadoes en route to the system, that they have 100 spare Orcas, etc., etc.

So let's talk numbers instead. If we put aside the subjective measurements in favor of objective ones, we find unequivocally that the New Order is ridiculously elite.

Just the other day, a CODE. corp, The Conference Elite, was listed by zKillboard as the fifth-killingest corporation in EVE. They have fewer than 60 members; most who out-kill them have many thousands of members. But corporations have long been eclipsed by alliances. Let's look at some alliance stats.

CODE. (or the punctuation-friendly "CODEdot"), an alliance with a large fraction of the New Order's Agents, inflicted over 650 billion isk in the month of May. That's a lot of dead bot-aspirants. The New Order is long past the days when people said we didn't exist, or that we were all the alts of one person, or that we didn't matter. We're even past the point where people can ignore us. We simply inflict too much damage. It would be like nullsec dwellers saying, "Stop giving The Mittani so much attention and he'll go away."

Let's put that 650 billion into context, by looking at the stats of some nullsec alliances you might've heard of. CODEdot inflicted slightly more damage than Brave Collective, the Brave Newbies' alliance, which has 9,500 members. TEST Alliance Please Ignore, which a year ago was the largest sovereignty-holding alliance in nullsec, also did less damage than CODEdot.

Of course, those numbers are very misleading. Because killboards give alliances in coalitions full credit for all of each other's kill-assists, the nullsec alliances' stats are vastly inflated. Accounting for this, CODEdot inflicted far more damage. Smaller, more independent entities such as Rote Kapelle and Dirt Nap Squad.--which are your prototypical self-described nullsec elite PvP'ers--were out-killed by CODEdot by a factor of 8 and 13, respectively. Some of CODEdot's individual pilots inflicted more damage in solo kills alone than those entire "elite PvP" alliances.

What's the point of all this? Just some food for thought. If you're planning on mining in an untanked Retriever, take some time to consider what you're up against. Do the math. Then come to your senses and obey the Code.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Accept no imitations! After unlicensed carebear Lisanna struss witnessed Agent karma balancer killing a bot-aspirant, she warned the New Order to stay out of the system. According to Lisanna, a "mining union" now had control over some highsec systems. Absurd. I don't see their name in the upper-left corner of the screen!

Agent loyalanon volunteered to serve as a fact-checker for Lisanna. His brief investigation confirmed that the New Order, not a mining union, owned all highsec systems. He offered Lisanna the chance to buy a mining permit, but she wouldn't take it.

After a couple "final warnings", Lisanna announced her readiness for war. All highsec braced for a clash between the New Order and an unnamed mining union.

karma balancer happily continued enforcing the Code in the Zimse system. Lisanna was annoyed by this encroachment on the union's "territory". Rather than fight it out, unidentified heroes from the New Order invited Lisanna to a TeamSpeak channel to discuss the matter. An unedited recording of the 10-minute conversation was made available on SoundCloud:

During the peace conference, Lisanna explained her concerns in greater detail. I reviewed the recording in full. Although Lisanna was in a bit of a mood, I am happy to report that no violations of Lisanna's human rights occurred during this particular conversation.

The peace conference was inconclusive. Agent Wolf Soprano reported to the Zimse system to assert the New Order's rights.

The New Order's show of force enraged Lisanna. No longer content with mining, she equipped her finest Drake-class battlecruiser and confronted Wolf in an asteroid belt.

Like another memorable TeamSpeak-dwelling rebel, Lisanna was preoccupied with obtaining kill rights. She demanded Wolf shoot at her Drake. What she didn't realize is that Wolf is a warp-in specialist. He was just providing a place for his friends to land on grid.

Kaboom! Lisanna's shield modules were no match for the power of the Code. Agents loyalanon, Mildron Klinker, Xeihun Khamez, karma balancer, and Inquisitor Armand landed on the grid and shot her out of the sky.

Lisanna wasn't expecting this, it seems. The destruction of her beloved Drake darkened her outlook on Zimse's future as a peaceful, Code-abiding system. They say the best time to negotiate is right after you've won a big victory. Our Agents readily agreed that this qualified as a big victory. So Lisanna was invited to rejoin the TeamSpeak channel for a follow-up conference.

This time, Lisanna had much more to say, so the conversation lasted about a half-hour. She poured out her feelings about the loss of her Drake and her anxieties about New Order rule coming to Zimse. Our Agents were very understanding. They didn't ask her to sing any songs or read the Code (she admitted she'd already read it). And they only asked for what they were owed--10 million isk for a mining permit.

This time, Lisanna came to her senses and bought a permit. Add her name to the long list of miners who paid after claiming they would "never" pay.

Lisanna joined the ranks of the Code-compliant. I was so happy for her when I learned this.

Nevertheless, the path to freedom is not a straight line; there are ups and downs. Somewhere along the way, Lisanna became a lapsed compliant. It may be some time before she returns to the fold. No problem. The New Order is always here to serve.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Meet Flinn Echerie. He is a Brutix pilot who lives in highsec. He is the founder, CEO, and sole member of his own highsec industrial corp. He is also engaged in rebellion against the New Order. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Is he crazy, resisting the Code? This guy is obviously going to get himself ganked." A reasonable assumption. But today's story has a surprise ending.

Fellow miner Lanieth Voltor praised Flinn for protecting the asteroid belt with his Brutix. When she had to leave, Flinn assured her that he would keep the belt safe in the meantime.

Again, I know what you're thinking. You assume that Flinn's Brutix is going to be blown up, because that's the fate of everyone who stands in opposition to highsec's ruling elite. I would ask that you put those preconceptions--no matter how strongly held they may be--aside today. This story is going to be a little different.

You see? A few minutes later, Lanieth returned, and the carebears' conversation continued. Nobody died. Incidentally, this conversation is typical. Because of the New Order, even bot-aspirants are driven to speak in local from time to time. The miners shared stories of being ganked by our Agents.

Flinn declared himself an enemy of the New Order and bragged about his plans to avenge his mining barge's death, and to facilitate the illegal mining operations of others. Once more, I would caution you against the presumption that this story will end with Flinn getting ganked. Keep an open mind. The world can be an unpredictable place. Just because the rest of the stories ended that way doesn't mean this one did.

Flinn did not get blown up immediately after announcing his intention to seek revenge against the Order. Instead, the carebears simply continued their little chat in tranquility.

...and then the Brutix got blown up.

"I knew it!", you say. Indeed you should know it. It is inevitable that every man, woman, and child who violates the Code will be brought to justice. There's no escaping it. You did well in predicting this outcome.

However... Did you, at any point, scroll to the end of the story, looking for the killmail, just to make sure? If so, you showed some signs of doubt. If you knew the Brutix was going to be ganked, you wouldn't have needed to scroll down. Keep working on that faith in the Code.

But I did promise a surprise ending to the story, so let's have a look at that Brutix. Was it fail-fit, like all the other anti-Order rebels' ships? Or did this rebel manage to put something decent together, for once?

What was the surprise ending? Flinn was surprised when he got ganked. Rebels and bot-aspirants always are. They truly believe that their story will be the one that ends differently. Countless miners have been ganked and punished for their resistance, but they think--for no particular reason--that they will escape the same fate. Hopefully this post was an illustration of the futility of that belief. The New Order always wins.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Raedyn Hakaari believes our Agents will one day do various chores for the bot-aspirants. No one knows what the future holds. What we do know is what is happening in the present: The New Order is ruling highsec and enforcing the Code. And you're reading the latest edition of the Highsec Miner Grab Bag!

Though "white knight" carebears still occasionally attempt to camp our gankers' stations, it has long been impossible, thanks to insta-undocks. Eveline Chance finally gave up and wrote a petition about it. It's a silly thing to do, but I suppose it beats spending hours trying and failing to tackle a Catalyst.

We frequently see carebears denigrating the Order by way of historical comparisons. Johnn 315 puts all of history aside and declares the Code the absolute worst.

The bio is a great place for EVE players to express some things about themselves and to pledge loyalty to me. What the bio isn't so great for--declaring one's opposition to the New Order.

A proper bio will get you protection in highsec. Sinder Paxton learned what a Goofus bio will get you.

Agent Dreadchain was challenged to gank a miner, so he did. Lesson learned. The New Order never bluffs!

I love the sandbox nature of EVE and the freedom (within reasonable limits) that it allows the players. I'm happy to let people enjoy EVE the way they want to enjoy it, but no AFK miner enjoys playing. Otherwise they wouldn't be AFK. EVE is not a single-player sandbox; it's a multiplayer sandbox, and Tranquility is the PvP server. That means "leave me alone" is off the table as a play-style.

We've gotten a lot of laughs from Google Translate over the years. Having encountered many English-speaking carebears, I've come to realize that Google Translate is more adequate than I originally thought. Kiti N is no less articulate than your average rebel miner.

Nahz Yaa has a new excuse for mining in highsec. He doesn't do it because it's relaxing or any of the typical reasons. Nahz prefers to mine because he can do it while drunk, high, or "tired asleep from jogging". True. You can also have your four year-old child mine for you. Your Mackinaw's still going to explode, though.

There are so many misconceptions about the New Order. It doesn't qualify as a "roleplaying" organization. Indeed, few people in EVE speak more about game mechanics, the risk/reward balance, nerfs, CCP, petitions, and the like. (When I posted a copy of the Code on the general discussion subforum of EVE-O, a forum mod moved it to the roleplaying subforum. The roleplayers got mad, pointing out that it wasn't proper roleplay, and they successfully petitioned to have it moved out.)

EVE players live in a cynical world. Everyone's looking for what the "catch" is. There is no catch. We're the good guys, and we're here to help you.

Another reason for MinerBumping's astonishing success: Even our enemies are avid readers. In time, they can't help but see that we're right about everything. ugly inside, clearly, is only in the first stages of that journey.

Ganking for the Code only takes a character slot and a few hours of training. And it earns you a lifetime of pride.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Previously, on MinerBumping... Diplomacy failed. Agents of the New Order from Bad Touches had no choice but to go to war against TDD Dominaters' corp full of new players. Confident of the safety of their Algogille refuge--despite having been awoxed and warned by said awoxer that he knew their plans--they began losing their ships.

TDD was the target. The New Order only wished to free the new players. But just as Morpheus explained to Neo, if you want to free people's minds, first you need to kill a lot of innocent people. Nevertheless, mercy prevailed. Agent Malcolm Shinhwa warned as many of the newbies as he could. Whenever he encountered them, he sent them this EVEmail:

Malcolm hoped to provide TDD's corp members with a reliable source of information and an alternative to languishing under TDD's tyranny.

When they refused to take his advice, Malcolm killed them, even the newbies in their Ventures. Meanwhile, though Agent Jer'ith Bodas' awox alt was gone, a spy remained in TDD's corp, so we may continue to gain insight as to what these carebears were thinking.

Sam Shikasta > 220 m I had to buy a retriever I lost a couple of days agoTDD Dominaters > ok so ur the secound richest player in this corporationTDD Dominaters > thats good.Sam Shikasta > i think soTDD Dominaters > well i want to make sure everybody here become wealthy.TDD Dominaters > but it looks like new order dosent want that to happen.

TDD filled his corp chat with lies and propaganda. He was fully aware that the war could break the corp and chase his future taxpayers away.

Sam Shikasta > we can fight backTDD Dominaters > yea but its just no point if theykeep running awya.Sam Shikasta > I was not prepared, if i hadn't jumpedSam Shikasta > I think i have a good equiped VexorSerj en Divalone > guys, when you dig in the fleet normally?TDD Dominaters > atm we need to keep as many players eyes open atnTDD Dominaters > were not mining fleeting intell the war is over.

Despite the active wardec, most of TDD's corp was only interested in continuing to mine. TDD gave them conflicting advice. He said there wouldn't be any mining fleets until the war was over, but he assured them they would be safe.

Arsin Blake > how u guysTDD Dominaters > good were moving all the members in safe locationTDD Dominaters > from the warTDD Dominaters > so far the spy has been kicked and our enemy cant come to our safe regionArsin Blake > who was the spy?TDD Dominaters > miloArsin Blake > k, so what the plan of action. where can i fall in?TDD Dominaters > move into system AlgogilleTDD Dominaters > u can mine and do mission safely

Despite their losses, TDD repeatedly encouraged his corp members to continue generating revenue for the corp. Apparently he believed his highsec mercenary allies, Sovereign Infinity, would protect him in Algogille.

But Sovereign Infinity never appeared. As their representative said, it wasn't their job to protect their clients, only to give them advice. Their advice was to provide the New Order with "zero targets". Effectively, this would have shut down their corporation for the duration of the war. TDD dismissed this suicidal advice, offering suicidal advice of his own.

Algogille wasn't safe. Malcolm slaughtered the newbies.

Sam Shikasta > the bad guys are gone from the system ?Arsin Blake > shall we do som mining? make with the money?

The mining and mission running continued at TDD's command.

Barely an hour later, another dead Retriever in Algogille. But the corp had no guidance from TDD other than to keep trying to make money in the "safety" of Algogille.

In frustration, one corp member tried to engage in PvP and defend the system. Sovereign Infinity wasn't going to do it, so he figured he would. As all other enemies of the New Order have learned, going to battle against us means certain destruction.

Arsin Blake > i was curious tho how you can find us so easilyMalcolm Shinhwa > for your mission i have combat probes. do you know about dscan?Arsin Blake > no, havnt got a clu. dscan?Malcolm Shinhwa > ok, i'm out of your system, so you can undock and just sit on station and i'll walk you through itArsin Blake > cool, you will help me even thou we at war?Malcolm Shinhwa > yes. i'm not after you. I'm after TDD. Have I sent you my email explaining that?Arsin Blake > no, all i know is what TDD told meMalcolm Shinhwa > after you've read that i'll be happy to help you in any way i can.Arsin Blake > wow, in one e-mail you habe already helped me more than TDD have as to yet...

Throughout the war, Malcolm contacted the newbies and gave them the advice and instruction TDD wouldn't.

Arsin Blake > k, thanx for all you have told me,Malcolm Shinhwa > You are welcome.Arsin Blake > thanx.Arsin Blake > im gonna do some more missions to learn how to respond and act quickly in ballte. feel free to come for me if you want. every event - even death - is tool to learn from.Malcolm Shinhwa > Arsin Blake did TDD explain any of that stuff about dscan to you ?Arsin Blake > no. i havnt gotten any real info from him.

The war was an act of generosity. Without New Order intervention, those players would still be in TDD's corp today.

Still, TDD refused to surrender. The wardec was extended again and again, for three weeks. By the end of it, over 170 million isk (not counting TDD's lost Orca) was destroyed. That's not much isk for most people. But considering it was inflicted upon a corp full of new players in Retrievers and Ventures, it meant a lot to them.

At last, TDD gave up. He sent an EVEmail to his corp members and kicked them all out of the corp. It was the first sensible thing he'd done in ages.

Then TDD left the corp, too. He was given a spot in the main corp of the invisible highsec mercenary alliance, Sovereign Infinity. He washed out in three days, failing to meet even their low standards. Yet TDD continues to play EVE and join corps. His future is uncertain, but it does not appear bright.

In the end, it was a glorious victory for the New Order. Most of the former members of TDD's corp remain in NPC corps. But Arsin Blake took Malcolm's advice and joined Brave Newbies Inc., where he stands a chance at playing EVE the way it was meant to be played. That fully justifies all the war and destruction. The truth is that highsec is filled with CEOs just like TDD Dominaters. They have no ability to lead. They brag endlessly about their own heroism and skill to corp members who don't know any better. When conflict arises, these CEOs tell their members to stay docked up forever, or to mine and run missions during the wardec. Such corps are a cancer upon highsec and EVE. Everyone benefits from their destruction, especially the members who are free to find a proper corp, once the one they're in is forced to shut down. Our noble crusade continues.

One of the things the New Order is really big on: Individuality. Nothing says individuality and free choice more than choosing to become the next shareholder in the New Order. Case in point, Agent Agent 70. She earns a Supreme Protector's Tip of the Hat™ today for her purchase of 500 shares, which sent us over the 354 billion isk mark. Imagine a highsec filled with countless Agents, some of whom are named "Agent #". If you're looking to make a name for yourself, now is your time to shine!

Monday, May 26, 2014

Previously, on MinerBumping... After losing his Orca and most of his in-game possessions, TDD Dominaters sought to prevent the wardec against his corp by asking a New Order Agent what he wanted. Agent Malcolm Shinhwa, a member of the corp running the impending wardec, told TDD to stop abusing newbies with his bad leadership. TDD refused. With negotiations at an end, TDD returned to his corp, which was still inhabited by the New Order awox alt, Milo Taranga.

TDD Dominaters > know thenTDD Dominaters > what do i have to do to kick you out milo ?TDD Dominaters > number one ?TDD Dominaters > sending all my corporation members to kill you?TDD Dominaters > number 2 ? you can leave?TDD Dominaters > which is it ?Milo Taranga > Isk would be nice

TDD threatened to send his well-trained army of new EVE players against Milo--the same army that refused to even try to rescue TDD's Orca when ordered.

Milo Taranga > you ask what you can do to make me leave, then whine when i tell youTDD Dominaters > nea point of making a deal with you.TDD Dominaters > playing ur game is easyas 1 , 2 ,3Milo Taranga > You're telling your guys they will be able to mine, with me pointing out right were they areMilo Taranga > undock in dixie TDDMilo Taranga > You're being station camped by a 400k sp characterTDD Dominaters > my combat ships arnt at this station.

Milo was amazed by TDD. Even though TDD now knew that his corp had been infiltrated, he was still telling his corp members to go to the "secret location", Algogille. Meanwhile, Milo sat outside the main Dodixie station in a Moa. TDD refused to undock, claiming he couldn't find a combat ship. In the main Dodixie station.

TDD Dominaters > yea who got helped by another playerTDD Dominaters > u were being heals as i was destroying ur ass.,TDD Dominaters > u know u couldnt handle .Milo Taranga > There is no such thing as a "fair" fightMilo Taranga > You'd best learn thatTDD Dominaters > u dam right about that little boy.....TDD Dominaters > and i know for a fact there are no rules..........TDD Dominaters > anything goes.........Milo Taranga > Except the CodeTDD Dominaters > there is no code,

TDD and Milo continued to argue about each other's respective combat skills. The rest of the corp could only watch as their CEO remained helpless.

Noggen Yakens > if there is a code then there is rulesTDD Dominaters > noggen if u boxxed somebody in real life ............ how does it go?Milo Taranga > So are you just going to sit in station for the rest of the day TDD?Milo Taranga > no combat ships in there.. you do know you're sitting in a trade hub right?TDD Dominaters > nopeTDD Dominaters > talking to some people .TDD Dominaters > like i said get ur fact straight....

TDD's corp wasn't even at war yet, but it was paralyzed by a single Moa. TDD even took a break from bragging about how great a war leader he was.

Milo Taranga > So what are you up to again?TDD Dominaters > urll seeMilo Taranga > How long will I have to wait?TDD Dominaters > idk how long do u have to wait intell your corporation leader grow up ?Milo Taranga > If you won't undock, you want me to track down one of your followers?Milo Taranga > What kind of leader lets his followers take the punishment for their crimes?TDD Dominaters > there all being move to a safe location ..........TDD Dominaters > to were u week link wouldnt dare go to...........

TDD insisted he was taking good care of his corp members. Incredibly, he still believed the "secret location"--which the entire corp, including Milo, knew about--was totally safe.

Milo Taranga > Do you guys wanna take war orders from a guy who just lost a billion isk ship due to poor OpSec?Milo Taranga > Kill: TDD Dominaters (Orca)Milo Taranga > Whew, got quiet in here all of a suddenMilo Taranga > You guys ought to read up on your glorious leaderNoggen Yakens > well you dont sound so glorius ether.... so whant do i have to sayMilo Taranga > I'm not trying to be a leaderNoggen Yakens > well i dint come to this corp for a leader ether! i came here for my first corpMilo Taranga > Your first corp should be a good oneNoggen Yakens > Why?

The new EVE players shrugged their shoulders at the entire situation. They didn't seem to think it was possible to begin EVE in a good corporation. New players are condemned to serve time in corps like TDD's.

TDD Dominaters > al explain to you why they dont want me leaderTDD Dominaters > let put easy and simpleMilo Taranga > You don't know what you're doing?Milo Taranga > You troll starter systems for newbs that you can use?TDD Dominaters > u know how there are out there that dont want other leader to rise bigger and more powerful then themnMilo Taranga > HahahahahaMilo Taranga > yeah, we're worried TDD is going to be a big time player

TDD believed himself to be persecuted for his brilliance. The New Order was only targeting him because otherwise he might one day grow up to challenge their power. TDD, the Saviour of Highsec you ain't.

Milo Taranga > This char is a awox alt, you do understand that?Milo Taranga > This char's entire purpose is to infiltrate corps that have no security, so we have advance info on our targets before we wardecTDD Dominaters > brb am getting popcorn . so i see how he well go with this game of his.TDD Dominaters > ok am backMilo Taranga > while you get popcorn, your followers suffer

Milo tried to warn TDD that as an awox alt, he was privy to all the corp's secrets, including the planned secret refuge. TDD wouldn't listen, so Milo arranged a practical demonstration:

Serj en Divalone was the first to die for TDD (unless you count TDD himself). It was Milo's parting message to the corp, to show them TDD couldn't be trusted to keep them safe. After downtime, Milo was removed from the corp. The awoxer was gone, but in a matter of hours, the wardec would begin.

TDD finally put the other part of his plan into motion. All the way back in Part 2, TDD mentioned that he would have an ally in the war. The ally in question was the Sovereign Infinity alliance. Sovereign Infinity is a group of highsec mercenaries who base out of Algogille, the same system TDD sent his corp members. Sovereign Infinity's first act was to send Malcolm Shinhwa a message:

Gem Daisha, the "Lieutenant Executor" of the alliance, engaged in diplomacy by repeatedly insulting Malcolm and accusing him of being a bully. She proposed that the war be ended by having Malcolm pay TDD back for the value of TDD's dead Orca. Oh, and she also invited Malcolm to Algogille, TDD's secret refuge. Unimpressed, Malcolm told Gem that he wanted TDD to stop abusing new players. Gem replied:

Gem explained Sovereign Infinity's philosophy: "We don't protect our clients, we advise them." The part about not protecting them was certainly true, given that she'd just disclosed the secret location where TDD was telling his corp members they could safely mine and run missions during a wardec. So far, Sovereign Infinity wasn't exactly earning its paycheck.

It was a stalemate. The New Order demanded TDD stop mistreating newbies and violating the Code. TDD refused to change his ways. TDD's corp members wouldn't leave the corp. Sovereign Infinity "advised" its client. The only way out of the deadlock was violence. And so the war of liberation began.